Catholics never have been very good at obeying central authority

Joe, are you serious? LOL. Seems like you see just what you want to see, nothing more, nothing less. Or you see catholicism from a uni-dimensional, entirely USA perspective, and then only from the 1960s onwards. I believe it was as recently as about 1950 that Pius XII pronounced the assumption of Jesus's mother - an amazing piece of magic to which his obedient flock signed up in their millions, without murmur.

If you heard it in a fairground booth, you'd want your money back. But when people hear it in a church, they know better than to ask questions.